Schools prepared ready for 'new normal' of coronavirus disruptions

Monday marked the first day of "social distancing" protocols at Canberra schools, which includes the cancellation of all assemblies, sporting events, open days and parent/teacher nights.

Local and interstate excursions have also been cancelled.

As with the rest of population, school students are being asked to not shake hands, keep 1.5 metres apart and regularly wash their hands.

With the ACT government only prepared to close a school if a student or staff member contracts the virus, The Canberra Times has heard reports of parents who are choosing to keep their child at home as a precaution.

However, there doesn't appear to have been a rush of parents pulling their children out of class on Monday and Tuesday.

ACT Council of Parents and Citizens Association spokeswoman Janelle Kennard said while her group had heard second-hand reports of children being preemptively put in isolation to avoid contracting the virus, it did not know of anyone directly.

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"Parents are certainly being very careful and keeping kids home who are only a little unwell - and might probably have normally gone to school - so there is some evidence that absences are up," Ms Kennard said.

"But our impression is that school life is continuing as usual, with more hand washing and fewer instances where children are close together."

The Association of Independent Schools of the ACT executive director Andrew Wrigley said there had been some "whispers" of an increased numbers of student absences at Canberra's private schools in the past two days.

Mr Wrigley said rather than allowing the school year to be derailed by the virus, principals and teachers were viewing the "social distancing" measures as an academic opportunity.

"As schools are cancelling sports, music and drama, all it leaves is the learning," he said.

"The schools are seeing it as an opportunity to focus on learning, and learning in a different context. What I'm hearing is that there is a real energy to maintain the continuity of education."

Mr Wrigley said the ACT education directorate was working with representatives from government and non-government schools to ensure that everyone in the sector had the same, and the latest, expert health advice.

Education Minister Yvette Berry restated the argument against mass school closures on Tuesday, but warned the situation was rapidly changing and the advice could change.

Mr Wrigley said private schools were prepared for the possibility of school closures at some point. None were at this stage considering preemptively shutting their doors and sending staff and students home, he said.

"The situation is fluid and the advice will change," he said.

"At this stage, there is not the sense of jumping to extremes. As one principal said to me, 'the weather is beautiful, the kids are still here, there is laughter around the grounds ... we're just in a bit of a different situation."

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